Idiomatic uses of Por and Para
We add the following idiomatic uses of Por and Para to what we said about these two prepositions in the section: The Prepositions
Por may translate "on behalf of," "for the sake of," "in favour of,"
"during," "through":
- Habló por el proyecto de ley:
He spoke in favour of the bill. - Se presentó por la casa:
He appeared on behalf of the firm. - Por la paz y buena armonía concedemos lo que V. pide:
For the sake of peace we allow what you ask. - Les sirvió por cinco años:
He served them during five years. - Trabaja por la mañana:
He works during (in) the morning. - Vino por París:
He came through Paris. - Cotizar por un artículo:
To quote for an article. - Yo por mí (or por mi parte) prefiero comprar al contado:
I, for one, prefer to buy for cash. - Por[3] rico que sea, no tendrá suficientes recursos:
No matter how rich he is, he will not have sufficient means. - Es demasiado avaro por ser tan rico:
for such a rich man, he is too miserly. - Caro por caro prefiero géneros ingleses:
If I have to pay a dear price, I prefer English goods. - Por sí ó por no:
In any case, should it be so or not. - Ir (venir) por:
To go (come) for. - Enviar por el médico:
To send for the doctor. - Por holgazán perdió el empleo:
He lost his employment through laziness. - Por bién ó por mal:
Willy-nilly. - Vendré por la Navidad:
I shall come by Christmas. - Por si acaso:
In case that.
Footnote 3: Por has always this meaning before an adjective or adverb.]
- No sirve para más:
He is good for nothing else. - Venir para la Pentecostés:
To come for Whitsuntide. - Esto no es para menos:
The thing (or occasion) is worth it. - Para español (or por ser español) es muy alto:
He is very tall for a Spaniard. - Tener grande consideración para este hombre:
To have great respect for this man. - Dar pedidos para ferretería, ollería, y maquinaría:
To give orders for ironware, hollow-ware and machinery. - Es demasiado avaro para ser tan rico:
He is too miserly to be so rich.
Category: General Spanish
